When I was in seventh grade, I somehow got my hands on the book “485 dni na Majdanku” (“485 Days at Majdanek”) by Jerzy Kwiatkowski. Later, I read other memoirs from other camps. And so it began. From the history of the Holocaust to the history of Jewish culture and religion. There came a time when I realized that my town is missing something and someone. The streets, parks and tenement houses seemed to be telling me something and it was up to me to discover what this silence hides. I started uncovering my hometown’s past as well as my own. University education was useful, but a turning point in my activism was meeting Jakub Müller and Łukasz Połomski. And thus, our activism gained momentum. Then Jakub passed away. We missed his support and knowledge, but new people joined us and helped us continue: Maria and Maciek from Nomina Rosae Foundation and Dariusz, who – despite his constant kayaking trips with his backpack full of books – is still with us. Now we are grooming our successors, Ambassadors of Tolerance who are young adults with a lot of enthusiasm to work for commemorating the past.
I am the head of the Voivodeship Pedagogical Library in Nowy Sącz and president of the Professional Local Government (“Profesjonalny Samorząd”) Association. For many years I was a volunteer, now I shifted my focus to bringing up my sons, who are my biggest treasure.
Together with my friends, I try to present to local residents the story of the people who had once had their share in shaping this town. Our activism focuses on education.
